• Dental Phobia Support

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I'm doing it!!!!!!

helpme!

helpme!

Member
Joined
Apr 6, 2008
Messages
43
Petrified!!!

I definitely fall into the category of dental phobia... but I can't put it off any longer.
I have cancelled the last two dental appointments but now have one this Tuesday and I feel physically sick everytime I think about it.
I don't want to cancel it because I am only putting off the inevitable and I know that it's making things worse...but I am sooooooo chicken.
I am 41 (as of yesterday) and I'll explain my fear...

I fear the anticipation of pain. I have been to the dentist and the last time felt no pain but nearly passed out with the fear of anticipating pain!
I lie in the chair clenching my hands, feet, stomach muscles till they hurt...my chest hurts...and I feel like a fade in and out of conciousness (which I don't)....
....all of this caused by "WAITING FOR EXTREME PAIN" which most times does not happen.

I would MUCH rather have teeth pulled than filled. Tuesday I have to have 3 fillings....it's that drill....waiting for them to hit a nerve...or slip!

I have left it too long so I have made the whole dentist visit worse than it should have been. I have to have 4 fillings on the bottom teeth and all the top teeth removed and replaced with dentures....

I really want it all done because I have run out of places to bite food where it doesn't hurt....plus I HATE my smile.

How can I stop fearing the worst!!!!:censored:
 
Re: Petrified!!!

Your fearing the worst will be solved immediately you go to the dentist because it is your imagination that is running riot, as it does with all of us who expect the worst until we actually get ourselves into that dentist chair and find out for real just what needs to be done. In the main it is usually much less than our imaginations have been telling us all the weeks,months or even years leading up to that first visit.

You yourself have said that last time you felt no pain, and as with so many of us it is the fear of pain, what could be not what will be. Possibly you could get a prescription for something like valium to take beforehand which will calm you a bit.

You say you are having 3 (or are you having the 4) fillings on Tuesday, well we all wish you well with that, and it can be completely painless, you will be numbed up first so should not feel anything, but you are in control, if, and a big IF, you should begin to feel anything, if the numbing should begin to wear off before treatment finishes, do arrange a stop signal with your dentist beforehand so that if you do want him to stop at any time, he does so. I am sure however this will not be necessary and everything will go swimmingly.

With regard to the dentures, is this definite, and have you had impressions taken yet, or is this something for the future? Whatever, if really necessary, dentures are not something to be feared, nor is the removal of teeth, again can be completely painless and no one unless you choose to tell them need know that your upper teeth are indeed not your own.

So best of luck for Tuesday, we will all be thinking of you, and do let us know how you get on afterwards.:grouphug:
 
Re: Petrified!!!

Fear of pain is one of the main reasons for my phobia too......that and needles:scared:

Do you know if your dentist offers any sedation? You could call and ask if they can give youa presription for valium or something of the like, or if they offer any other like nitrous oxide(laughing gas).

"You say you are having 3 (or are you having the 4) fillings on Tuesday, well we all wish you well with that, and it can be completely painless, you will be numbed up first so should not feel anything, but you are in control, if, and a big IF, you should begin to feel anything, if the numbing should begin to wear off before treatment finishes, do arrange a stop signal with your dentist beforehand so that if you do want him to stop at any time, he does so. I am sure however this will not be necessary and everything will go swimmingly."

I was going to type that exact same paragraph untill I realized that SS had already gone over it beautifully.......;)....mods responses are always perfect:rolleyes:


 
Re: Petrified!!!

I fear the anticipation of pain. I have been to the dentist and the last time felt no pain but nearly passed out with the fear of anticipating pain!
I lie in the chair clenching my hands, feet, stomach muscles till they hurt...my chest hurts...and I feel like a fade in and out of conciousness (which I don't)....
....all of this caused by "WAITING FOR EXTREME PAIN" which most times does not happen.

I would MUCH rather have teeth pulled than filled. Tuesday I have to have 3 fillings....it's that drill....waiting for them to hit a nerve...or slip!

You need to learn to relax :sleep: :cloud9::sleep:.....but it is easier to feel relaxed at the dentist's if you like and trust your dentist. Patients 'anticipating pain' is one aspect we have heard is covered on the dental school syllabus.

You admit that the anticipated pain has rarely materialised and the truth is that dentists are very highly trained and in practice simply don't slip with the handpiece (drill) ......the other aspect is when you are truly numb, you know you are truly numb...the nerve should be numb so if it is reached, you won't feel it anyway.....it is the nerves the anaesthetic is working on.

Practice relaxation exercises, concentrating on your breathing...this is so important because it is actually not possible to feel relaxed and anxious at the same time and couple that with making sure your dentist checks you are numb with the explorer before starting and have an agreed stop signal should the position change which with profound anaesthesia it won't anyway.

Do not clench the chair arms - many dentists don't use the arms and put them down, I think because it encourages the patient to be more relaxed with arms down by their sides. Keep your legs uncrossed as well..in short pretend you are lying in a sun lounger.

So long as you think your dentist is a nice cheerful experienced person who means well, relaxing is 'mind over matter'...however if you dislike their personality and find them cold and uncaring it would be unreasonable to expect to be able to relax easily in their presence...so firstly assess whether you have found the right dentist for you...you will know if you have as they will naturally ease your tenseness by the way they interact with you.

Also some dental practices have more relaxing environments than others..if the decor is starkly clinically white and the waiting room is gloomy, then it's not going to be the most relaxing option available. Is music or the radio playing in the background, is there nice artwork on the walls.....you get the picture....good luck.:grouphug:
 
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Re: Petrified!!!

Thankyou for your replies.

I know you are saying what, deep down, I already know but it still is nice to hear other people say it!

I especially found comfort in the fact that you said nerves are deadened with the numbing needle... I think it's because dentists tend to say 'raise your hand if I hit a nerve' and that makes me think that obviously it will still hurt despite the numbing needle.
As a child the dentist I saw had fat chubby fingers that tasted awful, he was very rough, and he didn't give numbing needles... so it was pain to the extreme... and that's obviously where this dental phobia came from.

The needles don't worry me... but I'm still waiting for the pain!

Thanks for the reassurance...it helps.
 
Re: Petrified!!!

Thankyou for your replies.
As a child the dentist I saw had fat chubby fingers that tasted awful, he was very rough, and he didn't give numbing needles... so it was pain to the extreme... and that's obviously where this dental phobia came from.

The needles don't worry me... but I'm still waiting for the pain!

I had a couple of similar 'torture sessions' as a child as well (I'm similar age) and to be honest the fact that I did, means anaethetised dentistry is a piece of cake in comparison! I too have no fear of needles...surprise.... surprise...but I have always found dental injections painless anyway and so prefer to keep up these high comfort levels which I have got used to over many years; and so I always have to choose my practice with care and for me any old dentist will most certainly not do!

Given your history, what you are experiencing is entirely understandable but the way through it, is learning to relax and building on an existing spark of trust.
:grouphug:
 
Re: Petrified!!!

Uh oh.... by the sounds of it the 'student' dentists are not the way to go.
Tomorrow morning my fillings are being done by last year students under the guidance of the dentist (the one whom I trust) so I am hoping that being students will mean they will be extra careful and extra diligent.
Please tell me that they will!!!!!!!
 
Re: Petrified!!!

Uh oh.... by the sounds of it the 'student' dentists are not the way to go.
Tomorrow morning my fillings are being done by last year students under the guidance of the dentist (the one whom I trust) so I am hoping that being students will mean they will be extra careful and extra diligent.
Please tell me that they will!!!!!!!

Yes, not necessarily a bad thing at all.......I had years of good experiences including painless injections at the hands of recently qualified NHS Associate Dentists in the UK NHS....how come your dentist is supervising recently qualified students?
In fact the dentist who saved me from developing a phobia was the first one I saw after Mr :devilish: - he had a calming chairside manner and was just so obviously much more caring....I was able to discount other as 'one bad apple'.
You'll be fine but concentrate on breathing and relaxing and agree the stop signal so you can relax knowing you have control.
 
Re: Petrified!!!

Thanks Brit... you're reassurance has helped a lot... I know most of my fear is mind over matter so if I listen to people such as yourself and try to take in what you are saying then I may have a better chance of calming myself.

My chest hurts just thinking about it so if I can get through the visit tomorrow morning without having a heart attack I may have made progress :ROFLMAO:

I have more work to be done after this visit so if I have a decent experience this time I may feel less anxiety about the next visit.

I have been told by the dental office that dental students take a little longer... so I am TRYING to interpret that as 'more careful'.

Oh...just let the torture be over!!!:sick:
 
Re: Petrified!!!

Oh...just let the torture be over!!!:sick:

It won't be torture at all..it's only torture without anaesthesia :grouphug:...you will be fine...and yes each positive experience helps gain your confidence and gradually the fear reduces or even disappears completely....although you may always remain fussy as to where you go and quite right too.
Do let us know how you get on either way. Remember if you really don't like them, you can excuse yourself and leave..they can't make you stay - unlike when you were a child..you do have some control here. You can withdraw your consent to treatment at any stage.

Dental students may take longer because their work is checked at each stage...plenty of time for you to practise relaxation lol whilst waiting for supervisor to give them the ok to move on to next stage. Whatever you do, don't feel sorry for them just because they are students...if you are not comfortable say so and ask to speak to the supervisor if you have any concerns whatsoever. I'm guessing they will be extremely nice to you as they are not going to gain many brownie points if you do choose to exercise control and run out halfway through!
 
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first visit done... it's a start

Well today I had three fillings....
I can't explain how anxious & sick I felt when I went to the dentist but I'm sure you all know what I mean.
I was see to by a "student" dentist who was keen to do a good job and make me comfortable.
Can't say that I felt excrutiating pain at any stage. It was uncomfortable... but no REAL pain.
Believe it or not the worst part was the water & vacuum because it touched my other sensitive teeth and that was not fun.
Mind you, I made it worst than it needed to be by getting so stressed and shaking etc.

I got through it... that's the main thing. I even made my next appointment which is next week... I am determined to stick at it because I have put it off for way too long and once it's all done I will be the happiest person ever!!!!!

My advice (not that I'm in any position to give advice) is to just force yourself to do it because it's only going to get worse and once it's over the relief you feel will be monumental.
 
Re: first visit done... it's a start

:grouphug::jump:

I'm glad you made it thru.. I had to force myself as well - the pain of NOT getting it taken care of was more terrifying than the pain of getting it done. I know :XXLhug:
 
Re: first visit done... it's a start

Great job:jump::jump::jump::cheers:

Also u are so right ....you do have to force yourself,then in the end it is so woth it.
Congrdulations...I am proud of u.:thumbsup::thumbsup::thumbsup::jump::jump::jump::jump:
 
Re: first visit done... it's a start

Congratulations :jump: - perhaps you need some desensitising treatment on some of your teeth - it's really simple and painless to do.
Don't see why you should have to feel like you are eating icecream while they do fillings...zing...I have a few sensitive areas too....Sensodyne toothpaste helps - have you tried that? They can probably have the water less cold too which would help?
Sounds like you did better at relaxing than you were expecting :party:. You deserve several of these :sleepyjuice: .
 
Re: Petrified!!!

You did tremendously well at your appointment, so big pat on the back for that. Brit is so right about the Sensodyne toothpaste: although I can't speak from personal experience I do know that one of my sisters and a nephew had sensitive teeth and have used this particular toothpaste and it has really helped. Also I believe they have a whitening toothpaste which also helped in that department too.
 
Re: Petrified!!!

Unfortunately my reason for teeth which are sensitive to the water & vacuum the dentist was using is because they have 'huge' holes in them... so sensodyne isn't going to help there!
The 'student' dentist was very good and tried not to use the water or vacuum more than she had to...and tried to keep it away from those teeth.

Can't wait til I no longer have these problems... and I'm thankful to this site for suppporting me through it.
 
Re: Petrified!!!

You did so well! Congratulations! :jump:

As for your assertion that you are not in a position to give advice, well, that's just not true. You've been through it. You're going through it. And, you're seeing the benefits of taking charge of your dental health. That makes you just as qualified as anybody else here to give advice...in fact, it makes you an inspiration to those who are still contemplating how to face their fears. So, keep the advice coming. :)
 
Only one filling to go...that's the bottom done!

Well, I only have one filling to go tomorrow and then that's it for fillings :jump:.
I am NOT looking forward to it because the work they do on the bottom teeth usually hurt the top ones because they aren't numbed and can't handle the air, water, vacuum etc... last time the dentist 'student' had to try to work without the water because of the pain it caused my top teeth as she worked on the bottom ones.
Once this appointment is over that's it for the bottom teeth... so pretty pleased about that!!!
Than I have to make the arrangements for removal of the top ten to make way for top dentures.

Part of me is not looking forward to the look of "new" teeth but realise that they can't look worse than 'bad' teeth... at least the new ones will eventually settle!

Can I ask advice from someone who has had top dentures.... do they take a mould of your mouth with your teeth still in because my top teeth are too painful/sensitive to handle having a mould pressed on them? It's worrying me.
 
Re: Only one filling to go...that's the bottom done!

Cgradulations:respect:U did good.I go in tomorrow to have the 6 extracted and the immidiate denture...for me they did take a mold for me with all my tp teeth in and I too was afraid cause they we're all painful when they we're exposed to anything pretty much(espically the water ...vacum...etc.

suprisingly it wasen't painful at all the stuff they used for my mold wasen't hard like I remebered it .it was soft.My point is for me it wasen't un-pleasent for me...doesen't take very long either.
Again good job getting the bottom teeth fixed.I am proud of you.:respect::XXLhug:
 
Re: Only one filling to go...that's the bottom done!

Filling was done today... won't comment on the experience because I don't think fellow dental-phobics need to hear it! (is there anywhere to vent about the dental visit where it won't upset other phobics who are already apprehensive about their visits).

Still, it's done now so that's another hurdle.
 
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